When most students go to college, they intend on staying four years. Well, at least four years. But for basketball stars, the case is a bit different. No matter the intellect or lack thereof, the goal nowadays is to make as much money as possible as soon as possible, in the NBA. The likes of Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant have even said, Who needs college?

Of course, there are players like Jaron Rush and Coreleone Young, who played on the same AAU team in high school and had their hopes set high in the basketball world. Coreleone thought he was too good for college, so he went straight for the glory- to the CBA. And many know about Jaron-his flashes of brilliance throughout high school and his short college career at UCLA. Opting out after his sophomore year, he now looks to make the big bucks with the Kansas City Knights of the newly formed American Basketball Association.

That said, I can't imagine why anyone would rush to play in the NBA, the bastardization of basketball. Sports Rap's own Steve Lyerly has compared the league to "watered-down lite beer."

The year in store for college basketball should make one of the best cases for the institution's greatness, and its superiority to the NBA. With multiple teams marked as preseason powerhouses, we have already seen a preview of what the year may hold for us. Yesterday, we had thrillers between top-ranked teams as well as upsets- which basically amount to a lot of rushing the court.

You see, there's an element of excitement to the college game that the NBA could not dream of reaching. March Madness provides levels of intensity and emotion that could never be paramounted. Carolina vs. Duke--there's nothing like that anywhere else. Especially not in the NBA. So folks, hold on to your pompons and facepaint. You're in for another wild ride.

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